[Congressional Bills 103th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [S. Res. 214 Introduced in Senate (IS)] 103d CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 214 On health care for Members of Congress and for the American people. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES May 17 (legislative day, May 16), 1994 Mr. Wellstone submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION On health care for Members of Congress and for the American people. Whereas the American people want and deserve the same high quality health care as Members of Congress; Whereas the best assurance for our constituents that their health care needs will be protected is to provide them with the same high quality care we receive at a cost they can afford; Whereas Members of Congress, like all Federal employees, are automatically eligible under the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) for health care coverage, with no pre-existing condition exclusions, and employers pay a significant portion of premium costs; Whereas premiums, cost sharing requirements (such as copayments and deductibles), benefits, and choice of caregivers vary among the plans offered under FEHBP; Whereas the health plan that offers the greatest choice of caregivers, the best schedule of copayments and deductibles, and the best package of benefits currently available through FEHBP is also the most expensive plan; Whereas Members of Congress have sufficient incomes to allow them to enroll in the best health plans offered under FEHBP without spending more than three percent of their incomes; Whereas the best health plans are not similarly affordable for middle- and lower-income Federal employees; Whereas all FEHBP plans are better than many health care reform proposals now before Congress in that they offer a defined package of benefits with an employer contribution; Whereas improvements are necessary even to the best plan available under FEHBP, including needed services such as full coverage for long-term care and dental care, and improvements that can only be accomplished through health care reform, such as expanding public health systems and coordinating care among providers; and Whereas the health and well-being of our Nation, and our ability to control health care costs by covering everyone for a broad array of accessible health services that will keep people healthy, require that Congress enact the best possible health care reform legislation: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Congress should enact health care reform that guarantees everyone health care as good as the best health care that will be available to Members of Congress. <all>